Hi, I'm Jessica from Nashville. This is the 2nd day of my new lifestyle. I am 5'11 and currently weigh 265lbs. This is the heaviest I've ever been. My absolute goal weight is 170, and I am aiming for 210 by the end of the year. From this day on I am attempting to turn things around. I have never been happy with my weight, and I am finally ready to do something about it. I am starting slowly at first, making no drastic changes that will make me want to quit. I'm cutting out daily sodas and fast food. I am also drinking lots of water, I had about 70 oz today. Tonight I went for my first brisk walk/jog. I won't lie and say I got that infamous runners high. It sucked. But afterwards I felt better for doing it.

Does anyone have any other advice? I mentioned I am cutting out the daily sodas and fast food. I won't lie and say I'll never have them. I think that is where I have failed in the past. I cut everything off all at once with no exceptions. Then after a few weeks I feel so deprived and depressed and give in...to the excess.

Also, is there anyone else out there who is struggling with weight loss because of their picky eating habits? I am probably the pickiest eater known to humanity. I have so much trouble eating healthy because I don't like hardly any healthy foods. Here's a small run down of my insanity...I don't like any condiments, I eat everything plain(ie sandwiches are meat and bread), the only veggies I eat are corn, green beans, and broccoli. Help me please. Is there anyone else like me who finds it so hard to lose weight when all you really eat is meat and potatoes?!

Jessica

For starters, it sounds like you are managing your expectations perfectly. Taking babysteps is critical if this is going to be something you are going to consistently adhere to from here on out... so good job!

By 'cleaning up' the diet of the obviously poor stuff (soda and fast food) good things will happen. Once you have it under wraps, remember to consistently add something to the 'pipeline' to work towards.

While you've made a great first step, it's only one step of many that will have to be made.

Oh, and you made another big step, which I didn't mean to discredit. You started walking... which is also fantastic. How often do you plan on doing this?

About being picky, maybe you could search for healthy recipes. I think there are quite a few threads here relating to healthy goodies and I'm sure some people here have some recipe websites they can share.

Remember, not every single morsel of food you put in your mouth has to be 'clean.' That sort of all-or-nothing thinking is what leads most to failure with their diets. You want a majority of your intake to come from 'healthy' stuff, but I think allowing some room for stuff that will act as a psychological buffer is important... ya know, the stuff you can't live without. It can co-exist with the 'clean foods' in your diet as long as moderation is maintained.

In general, and this is by no means a complete list, here are some 'clean' foods:

Protein - chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, fish, lean ground beef, flank or top round steaks, whey protein, eggs, low/no fat dairy (these can go in the carbs category too)

Fats - natural peanut butter, fish, fish oil pills, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocados, flax

Carbs - fruits, veggies, oatmeal, rice, whole grain/high fiber bread, wraps, whole wheat pasta, yams

Best to you in finding how to optimize your plan. I hope you're able to pull some good ideas from this site.

Well Jessica....joining this forum shows that you are taking the right steps. You don't have to completely change your diet overnight, just make small steps. Substitute soda for diet soda, butter for i cant believe its not butter, whole milk for skim milk, sugar for splenda etc. etc. Small changes are very important.

Thanks for the feedback. I am really hopeful that this will be the time I stick to it and change my life. To reply to you Steve, I plan on walking everyday, weather permitting. Although here in the south that will really start to suck come July!

The food issue with me is sill a huge problem. I'm going to have to figure a way around it. I can only eat so much cereal and ham sandwiches.

Here's my new ticker! It's officially out here for all the world to see!!

Meat and Potatoes wont kill you. Just dont have it every meal. What about other proteins like egg whites or cottage cheese? Fruits? Protein Pancakes are great(Even if you are picky) Green Giant also has some frozen mixed veges that are already seasoned that you may like to try